“To be or not to be” (Shakespeare, Hamlet). How real was Jesus?

        In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark,” he explores the confused mindset of Hamlet over his uncle as he (Hamlet) contemplates avenging his father’s death. Today many people are just as confused about Jesus. Some even like Bertrand Russell (WIANC, 16) do not even think that Jesus existed.  But the historicity of Jesus is not just a matter of curious interest for the Christian or non-Christian.  No serious scholar would venture to postulate the non-historicity of Jesus. (Betz, WDWKAJ, 9).  Let us survey the historicity of Jesus Christ.  Please bear in mind that Christianity is entirely dependent on the historicity of Jesus.  If Jesus was a sham, then so is Christianity.  If Jesus were just another sage or good man, then Christianity is just an organisation around a good man.  Here is what history shows us about Jesus.

        Cornelius Tacitus (AD 55-120): This man lived through the reigns of about six Roman emperors; he is called the ‘greatest historian’ of ancient Rome, an individual who was known for moral integrity and goodness (Habermas, VHCELJ, 87). In Tacitus most acclaimed works, The Annals, and the Histories he alludes to the death of Christ and to the existence of Christians at Rome. He writes that Nero in order to suppress suspicions that he ordered the fire of Rome charged the Christians among others; and that the founder of the Christians was Christus who was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius (Annals XV, 44). According to F. F. Bruce Pilate is not mentioned in any other pagan document which has come down to us and that the only mention of him in a pagan writer is because of the death which was handed out to Christ (Bruce, JCOCNT, 23). 

        Cambridge lecturer Markus Bockmuehl notes Tacitus’ comment is independent confirmation that Jesus lived and was formally executed in Judaea in the reign of Tiberius and during Pilate’s service as procurator; and that this should put to rest the notions by some that first, Jesus of Nazareth never existed; and secondly that he did not die by the duly administered Roman death penalty (Bockmuehl, TJMLM, 10, 11).

        Lucian of Samosata. (AD 125-180) This was a Greek satirist of the latter half of the second century. He spoke scornfully of Christ and the Christians, never assuming or arguing that they were unreal. He wrote that the Christians worship a man to this day-the distinguished personage who introduced their rites and was crucified on that account (Lucian, The Death of Peregrine, 11-13).

        Suetonius, (Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus c.71-c.135) A Roman historian, court official under Hadrian and annalist of the Imperial House. Suetonius stated in his Life of Claudius 25.4: “As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus [another spelling for Christus]” Claudius had them expelled from Rome; this event is mentioned in the book of Acts 18:2 written by Luke. This took place in AD 49. Assuming that Jesus was crucified in the early thirties, Suetonius-no friend of Christianity-places Christians in the imperial city less than twenty years later, and he reports that they were suffering and dying for their conviction that Jesus Christ had really lived, died, and risen from the dead.  This piece of historical data shows us that the New Testament witnesses were not in a corner but were very extensive.  For Christianity to spread that quickly across the empire is amazing.  But notice the main tenet then as now was that Jesus died and was raised from the dead.

        Pliny the Younger (AD 61-113). Pliny was the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor around 112 AD.  In a letter to emperor Trajan, he asked counsel as to how to treat the Christians, whether he should continue killing them all as he was doing.  He also explained that he made the Christians “curse Christ, which a genuine Christian cannot be induced to do because he was worshipped as a god.” (Epistles X, 96.)  Interestingly, we have a response to Pliny from Trajan (Pliny the Younger, Epistles 10:97).  Trajan writes “telling him not to punish those Christians who are forced to retract their beliefs by the Romans.”  And Trajan adds “that anonymous information about the Christians is not to be accepted by the Roman officials.”

        Mara Bar-Serapion. (Sometime after AD 70) He was a Stoic philosopher from the Roman province of Syria. He is noted for a letter he wrote in Syriac to his son around AD 73 while he was in prison. Mara Bar-Serapion writes to his son about the processes of life and asked him, “What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King…Nor did this wise king die for good; He lived on in the teaching which He had given.” (Bruce, NTDATR, 114).

        The above selection of secular historians shows us that Jesus and Christianity are a fact of history just as other historical events are. The fact that some of these accounts were written not very long after the crucifixion of Jesus adds to the reliability of the witnesses.  There is more to the Christian faith than there is for Buddhism, Islam, Taoism (c.500. BC), and Confucianism (also known as Ruism, 4^th and 3^rd century BC).  And as these other faiths are grounded in history so is Christianity.

        From secular historians and secular accounts of the existence of Jesus Christ let us turn to the Jewish references to Jesus; for if there is any primary source we should resort to first to verify the credibility of Jesus it should be the very nation where Jesus was purportedly born and killed.  The Jewish leadership accounts of Jesus are never favourable, however, whatever their beliefs about Jesus matters little in this article.  What matters is that the Jewish nation records the historicity of Jesus Christ who was crucified by Pilate.

        The Crucifixion AD 31.  In the Babylonian Talmud, we read: “It has been taught: On the eve of Passover they hanged Yeshu,” one version says “Yeshu the Nazarene.” (Sanhedrin 43a; cf. T. Sanh. 10:11; y. Sanh. 7:12; Tg. Esther 7;9). Referring to Yeshu the Nazarene makes the link to Jesus Christ even stronger.  It should also be noted that ‘hanged’ is another way of referring to the crucifixion (Luke 23:39; Gal 3:12).  “The Talmud,” writes the Jewish scholar Joseph Klausner, speak of hanging in the place of crucifixion since this horrible Roman form of death was only known to Jewish scholars from Roman trials and not found in the Jewish legal system. (Klausner, JN, 28)   Noteworthy also is the reference that this crucifixion occurred “on the eve of Passover” agrees with John 19:14.

        In a later Talmudic passage on Jesus’ crucifixion comes a passage that asserts that “Yeshu had five disciples.”  This is a practice that Jewish Rabbis followed.  This reference makes clear that the Jewish tradition accepts the fact that the rabbi Jesus did have followers.  Concerning Jesus virgin birth as espoused by His disciples, the Talmud gives Him the title “ben Pandera” or ben ‘Pantere.’ This a play on the Greek word for virgin, parthenos.  The Talmud uses the term ben ha-Pantera in mockery, the term translates as the son of the leopard.  The Talmud seems dotted with pejorative references to Yeshu or as in the Mishnah, R. Yehoshua (Yeshu or Jesus).  What a travesty of the perfect laws and legal system that God had given this nation for the main purpose of being His light to the gentiles now becoming darkness to themselves and to the gentiles!

        Josephus (ben Mattathias, 37/38 AD-100 AD.  Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian who wrote just a little more than half a century after Jesus’ life and crucifixion, in his Testimonium, he attests to the truth that Jesus was not a figment of the church’s imagination but a real historical figure.  Josephus even refers to James the brother of Jesus. In his Antiquities XX, 9.1 he describes the illegal manner in which the high priest, Ananus went about to kill James.

        There are several historical references to Jesus and Christians/Christianity from Christian historians, however, this article will omit references from this source even though references deal with secular sources like the emperors of Rome and other persecutors.  Let us briefly look at additional historical sources for Christianity.

        Macrobius. (Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, also known as Theodosius). His dates are unsure, but scholars place him around 399-410 AD.  A Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century. In his Saturnalia, lib. 2, cha. 4. Pascal (Pensees) mentions this quote of August Caesar as an attestation of the slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem.  It was under Augustus Caesar’s reign that Herod the Great perpetuated this horrendous deed.  We read of this action of Herod the Great in Matthew 2:18, also foretold in Jeremiah 31:15. This tells us that this non-Christian was aware of the atrocities of the Roman leaders against the Jews in this instant.

        Hadrian.  (AD 78-135) Roman emperor. Justin Martyr’s The First Apology, chs. 68, 69 quotes Hadrian’s letter to Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia Minor. The letter deals with accusations of the pagans against the Christians.

        Antoninus Pius. (AD 138-161).  Roman emperor. Justin Martyr, The First Apology, ch. 70. Justin quotes Antoninus’ letter to the general assembly in Asia Minor.  The letter states that officials there are getting too upset with the Christians there and that the emperor will not change his dealing with the Christians there.

        Marcus Aurelius. (AD 121-180). Roman emperor.  Justin Martyr in his First Apology, ch. 71, tells of the Christians in fighting action in the Roman army.

        Juvenal. (1^st century AD-2nd Century AD) A Roman poet of the Silver Age of Latin literature was called the last and most powerful of all Roman satirical poets; and Seneca (Lucius Annaeus, 4BC-AD 65). Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and Satirist from the Silver Age of Latin Literature, at least in one of his works.  Both of these individuals referred to some of the cruelties of emperor Nero upon the Christians.

        Hierocles. (2^nd century AD). He was a Stoic philosopher. He made mention of Paul and Peter calling them sorcerers.

        Yamauchi, professor of history at Miami University says, Even if we did not have the NT of Christian writings, we would be able to conclude from such non-Christian sources as Josephus, the Talmud, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger that: 1. Jesus was a Jewish teacher; 2. many people believed that he performed healings and exorcisms; 3. He was rejected by the Jewish leaders; 4. he was crucified under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius; 5. despite this shameful death, his followers who believed that he was still alive, spread beyond Palestine so that there were multitudes of them in Rome by AD 64; 6. all kinds of people from the cities and countryside-men and women, slave and free-worshipped him as God by the beginning of the second century. “we have more and better historical documentation for Jesus than for any other religious founder (Zoroaster, Buddha, or Mohammed).”

My appeal to you my friends is please do not take these historical facts lightly; your future destiny hangs on your response to them.  We are living in a very disturbing world at the moment. Many terrifying events have happened and will happen. In the midst of disasters, persecutions and revolts the early Christians offered hope to the people then.  Today biblical Christians offer the same hope and comfort to men and women in these tumultuous times.  Won’t you my friends allow this same Jesus to be your shield, guide, and comforter? I pray you would.  Next month we will continue on the life of Jesus Christ.  God bless.

I am indebted to Josh McDowell’s The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict for much of the infomation here.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact Pr. Ron Henderson at ronhende@outlook.com.